20 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JUI.T ar, 1836. 



cFrtimtlie Maine Farmer.) 

 15UTTEK. 



Mr Holmes : — As great iiiipioveiiients may be 

 made in tlia quality as well as qiiaiility of butter 

 from the same milk, by some variation from the 

 common mode of nanaging the milk — I have 

 therefore made some extracts from a valuable 

 English publication in my jtossession, entitled a 

 Complete History of Modern Agriculture, by R. 

 W. Dickson, M. D. 



1st. Exp. Several large tea cups exactly simi- 

 ler in size and shape were filled at regular inter- 

 vals the last being filled up with the dregs of the 

 milk. — From some cows the quantity of cream 

 obtained from the last drawn cup, exceeded that 

 from the first in the proportion of 16 to 1. 



2d. The difference in quality was greater than 

 the difference hi quantity. In the first cup the 

 cream was a thin tough film, and very white, but 

 in the la-t of a thick butteraceous consistence, 

 and of a glowing richness of color, that no other 

 kind of cream is found to possess. 



3d. The difference in the quality of the milk 

 was perhaps still greater than either, in r f'pt ct to 

 the quantity or the quality of the cream. In the 

 first cup it was a thin bluish liquid, as if a large 

 portion of water had been mixed with ordinary 

 tnilk ; while in the last cup it was of a thick con- 

 sistence and yellow color, more resembling cream 

 than milk both in taste and appearance. 



4th. The cream which first rises is richer in 

 quality, and greater in quantity than what rises in 

 a second equal portion of time, and the like dif- 

 ference in a third space of time and so on. 



5th. Thick milk always throws up a smaller 

 portion of the cream it actually contains to the 

 surface, than milk which is thinner, but the cream 

 is of a richer quality ; and if water is addeii to that 

 thick milk, it will afibrd a considerably greater 

 quantity of cream than it would have done if al- 

 Jowed to remain pure ; but the quality at the same 

 time is greatly debased. 



6th. Milk which is put into a pail or any other 

 vessel and carried in it any distance so as to be 

 agitated and in part cooled before it is put into the 

 niilkpans to settle for cream, never throws up so 

 much nor so rich cream as if the same milk had 

 b^en put into the milkpans directly after it was 

 milked. 



From the above it follows, 



1st. That cows should he Ki'ilked as near the 

 Dairy as possible, and in addition to its prevent- 

 ing the agitation and cooling of the milk if pas- 

 tures are near the Dairy the e,( ws are not heated 

 by driving, 



2. It is highly injurious to put the milk in 

 'large dairies into one vessel as it is milked, tore- 

 main there until all the cows are milked before it 

 js put into mi.k pans, and for an additional reason 

 to the agitation and cooling, that it mixes the bad 

 with the good milk. 



3. The first drawn milk should be kept sep- 

 arate from the last drawn, as the quality ol'ihe but- 

 ter will be improved in proportion to the last 

 drawn milk that is retained. 



4. If the quality is only alluded to, it is not on- 

 ly necessary to separate the first from the last 

 drawn milk, but also to take nothing but theoreaju 

 that is first separated from the best milk. The re- 

 mainder of the milk, may be either employed in 

 making sweet milk cheeses, or it may be allowed 

 to stand to throw up cream for making butter of 

 an inferior quality, 



5. According to the preceding, the best but- 

 ter could only be made with economy in those 

 dairies where the manufacture of cheeses is the 

 principal objet t. In such dairies a small portion 

 of the last drawn milk should beset apart lor but- 

 ter, all the rest may be made into cheeses while 

 it is yet warm from the cow and perfectly sweet, 

 and if only that portion of cream which rises 

 during the three or four hours after milking is to 

 he reserved for butter, the rich milk which is left, 

 after the cream is separated, being still perfectly 

 sweet, inay be converted into cheese with as great 

 advantage nearly as the newly-milkeil milk itself. 



6. As purchasers would not be found wanting 

 to buy the fresh butter made in the manner above 

 pointed out, at the price that would indemnify the 

 farmer for his troidile in making it, these hints 

 are thrown up merely to satisfy the curious in 

 what way butter possessing this superior degree 

 of excellence may be obtained, but tor the ordina- 

 ry market, the writer is satisfied, from experience 

 and attentive observation, that if in general about 

 the first drawn half of the milk be separated at 

 each milking, and the remainder only set up for 

 produdng cream, and if that milk be allowed to 

 stand to tlirow up the whole of its cream, even till 

 it begins sensibly to taste sourish, and if that cream 

 is afterwards carefully managed, the ^bitter thus 

 obtained will be of a quality greatly superior to 

 what can usually be obtained at market, and its 

 quantity not considerably less than if the whole of 

 the milk had been treated alike. This therefore 

 is the practice that is thought most likely to suit 

 the frugal farmer, as his butter, though of a supe- 

 rior quality, could be offered at a price that would 

 always insure it a rapid sale. 



From the preceding the following course is 

 recommended to farmers, particularly those who 

 have small dairies. Let a quantity of milk from 

 the first drawing, sufficient for family use, includ- 

 ing the supply of cream, be taken from the cows 

 on a farm, and set the remainder for cream to 

 make butter for the market, it will take less 

 time to convert such cream into butter, and the 

 butter from such cream will be of a superior qual- 

 ity. 



To satisfy tnyself of the difference in the milk 

 in the first and last drawn from the same cow, I 

 had a tumbler nearly filled with first drawn milk, 

 taking about an equal quantity from each teat — a 

 second tumbler was then filled with about an 

 equal quantity, if anything a little of the last draw- 

 ing, taking about an fequal quantity from each teat. 

 The result was, scaicely any cream from the first, 

 and it could not be well separated from the milk. 

 The cream did not exceed in weight 30 grains, 

 and hardly any yellow particles in the cream — 

 from the last drawing, there was 339 grains of 

 cream, yellow and thick. The milk stood in the 

 tumblers aboHt 10 hours. C. V. 



Haltowelt, June 17, 1836. 



I'oKK IN WARM WEATHER. — A friend informs 

 us, and wishes the fact stated to our readers, that 

 pork may be killerl with perfect safety in warm 

 weather, if, when barrelled down, a portion of ice, 

 equal in quantity to the salt used, be sprinkled be- 

 tween the layer.s. The ice abstracts the animal 

 heat, and prevents the pork from becoming in- 

 jured by the warmth of the atmosphere, before 

 it is sufficiently impregnated with salt to pre- 

 serve it. 



GATHEBl^G Hat. — In some situations hay may 

 be raked and loaded advantageously in the follow- 

 ing manner. Begin at the up|)er part of the field 

 and rake the hay down hill, until a winrow is 

 formed, then drive the team on the lower side and 

 pitch the hay from the winrows on the load, or it 

 will be better to ]iut the hay into cocks first, un- 

 I jss the winrow be very large. The trouble of 

 raking scatterings will be saved, and as less care 

 will be required in loading than is necessary in 

 passing over the ground that is raked, the expense 

 of loading hay in this way will be only about half 

 as much as the different method frequently prac- 

 tised. We think this method may be pursued 

 with advantage on level ground, when the length 

 of the winrows and the number of hands are such 

 as to have the bay in reailiness just in time for 

 the teams. This method is very convenient when 

 only two hands are hauling hay. — Yankee Far. 



Tansy. — This herb may be frequently observ- 

 ed growing in the country church yards, which 

 induces us to think it was formerly used as a fu- 

 neral plant. Tansy has this peculiar viriuc, that 

 if any dead animal substance be rubbed with it, 

 the flesh fly will not attack it. — Boerhave says, 

 the leaves applied to a dead body, and intruded 

 in o the mouth and nost. ils preserve it from pu- 

 trefaction and insects; whence the plant has been 

 called Afhanasia, that is, immortal plant. 



The survey of New York. — We mentioned 

 week before last that Professor Hitchcock had 

 accepted the appointment of Geological Surveyor 

 of Eastern New York. We have now to record 

 his resignation. The state would not pay him for 

 his trouble. They offered far less than Massachu- 

 setts paid, which was little enough ; and the prob- 

 ability is that no scientific man will be employed 

 rpon it. The miserable pittance offered is fifteen 

 himdred dollars a year, and the surveyor must pay 

 his own expenses. Truly, scientific men had bet- 

 ter hoe potatoes than search into the ' bowels of 

 the earth,' if they cannot receive better wages. It 

 would take at least five months to survey the pro- 

 pose<l section. The time and expense necessary 

 to be used in the work, at the lowest rate, would 

 not, by the sum offered, be paid. — Bost. Pearl. 



Rail Road Convention. — A meeting of the 

 citizens of various towns in the valley of the Con- 

 necticut River was holden at Northampton on the 

 13th inst. for the purpose of taking into consider- 

 ation the expediency of constrM(;ting a Rail Road 

 through the valley of the Connecticut, &c. 



The measure was determined on and the fol- 

 lowing gentlemen appointed a Committee to carry 

 it into affect ; 



EUphalet Averill, Hartford, 



Richard D. Morris, Springfield, 



Samie' P. Lyman, Northampton, 



Henry If. Clapp, Greenfield, 



Osmyn Baker, Andierst, 



John C. Holbrook, Brattleborough. 



The crops in Upper Canada promise to be 

 abundiint. A great many cows have been lately 

 purchased in that country for the American mar- 

 ket. ' A drove of sixty ' says a Kingston paper, 

 ' was at one time in Mr Mayo's yard, and numer- 

 ous other droves have been transferred to the 

 Americans.' — Canada paper. 



